India, US agree to work together on climate change

Washington: India and the US have decided to work together on the issue of climate change and collaborate jointly in areas of renewable energy and clean technologies, as New Delhi’s first high level dialogue on the issue with the Obama administration concluded here.

Shyam Saran, Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on climate change concluded his four-day trip to the US, during which he objected against attempts to club India along with “major emitters” of green house gases and warned the developed world against sneaking in “protectionism under green label” garb.

Under the Obama Administration, this was the first high level dialogue between Washington and New Delhi on climate change and energy security.

The trip, that saw Saran meeting top Obama government officials on issues of climate change and energy security, which US President Barack Obama has made a top priority.

New Delhi and Washington have decided to work together on issues of climate change and collaborate jointly in areas of renewable energy and clean technologies, officials said here.

India also sought partnership with the US in the field of clean and renewable energy and the two sides agreed to work together to ensure a successful outcome at the upcoming climate change conference in Copenhagen, also known as 15th COP (Conference of Parties).

On the last day of his visit, Saran met Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William J Burns. He earlier met Todd Stern, the Special US Envoy on Climate Change; Nancy Helen Sutley, Chair, White House Council on Environmental Quality and John Holdren, Director of the Office of Science and Technology.

During these meetings, the two sides exchanged views on the ongoing multilateral negotiations on climate change under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC).

Saran also met key Congressional leaders during his trip, including John Kerry, Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Congressman Ed Markey, head of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, besides Congressman Jim McDermott among others.

The meetings saw a detailed exchange of views wherein it was agreed that the two countries need to work together in areas of renewable energy, clean coal technologies and collaborative research and development (R&D) in these and other areas, officials said.

The US appreciated the actions taken by India under the National Action Plan on Climate Change and conveyed their willingness to cooperate with New Delhi in all these areas.

While at the prestigious Brookings Institute, Saran spoke on the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace he presented India’s perspective on climate change. He also met officials of several think tanks working in the field of climate change.